Tabulating machine



June 1940- I J. T. FERRY TABULATING' MACHINE Filed Oct. 26, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JOHN T. FERRY BY WEI ATTORNEY FIG.8.

June 4, 1940. I J, FER-RY 2,203,327

' TABULATING MACHINE Filed oct. 26; 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvsmoa JOHN T. FERRY June 4, 1940. FERRY 2,203,327

TABULATING MACHINE I Filed Oct. 26, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 4, 1940. J. T. FERRY TABULATING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 26, 1938 SOC INVENTOR JOHN T. FERRY- BY MATTORKIEY an automatic control over the lever for Patented June 4, 1940 PATENT OFFICE TABULATING MACHINE John T. Ferry, Ilion, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buifalo, Delaware N. Y., a corporation of Application October 26, 1938, Serial No. 237,007

Claims.

This invention relates to tabulators for statistical data cards and more particularly to auto matic stop devices for stopping the tabulator after a predetermined number of line space operations by the printing carriage.

All present tabulators have automatic paper feeding mechanisms which advance the paper on the platen after each entry has been printed. Such mechanisms are disclosed in Patent No. 2.059.251 to W. W. Lasker and Patent No. 2,059,- 215 to E. H. Dreher. The present invention is an improvement on these mechanisms resulting'in stopping the machine.

In certain classes of tabulator work it is ad- D vantageous to stop the machine after a certain number of items have been printed.

This is particularly true when the tabulator paper is later cut into sheet lengths and made into loose leaf books. Such sheets are generally printed with a heading and assembled in a fanfold stack with perforations for easy separation. Previous to this invention, stop cards were used which had to be inserted in the card stack at regular intervals corresponding to the number of printable items on each sheet. It is obviously more convenient to make a mechanical setting in the printing head after which the tabulator will stop when the predetermined number of items has been printed.

The invention resides in the provision'of a settable trip cam attached to the hand lever hub of l the paper feed mechanism and in a coacting latch system attached to the frame. One portion of the latch system is connected by a series of links and bell-cranks to a stop lever interponent which disengages a clutch and stops the tabulator mecha-' nism.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an automatic stop device for a tabulator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a settable lever which stop a tabulator after a I I predetermined number of line feed'operations.

Another Object is to provide a stopping means for tabulators which may be easily reset manually. I

Another object is to provide a latch mechanism coacting with the stop lever which will be reset when another bill form is moved into printing position by the paper injector lever.

Still another object is to provide an automatic stop device which may easily and conveniently be attached'to, the present design of tabulators'without expensive alterations.

Qther objects and structural details of the intabulator taken from the right hand side; 5

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a portion of the head and the lower part of a tabulator taken from the left hand side;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the paper feed mechanism of the tabulator head similar to Fig. 1, 10 with parts broken away to disclose the details of the latch mechanism in theinvention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the latch mechanism 15 after the latch has been tripped and the clutch disengaged; I

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5 but indicating the position of the latch when the paper injector lever has been pulled down and the latch reset;

Fig. '7 is also similar to Fig. 5 but indicating the position of the latch when the paper injector lever is being returned to its initial position;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of the paper injector pawl mechanism after the lever has been pulled down and the pawl unlatched.

The tabulating head shown in Fig. 1 has been described in the above mentioned patents. A complete tabulator design has also been disclosed in Patent No. 1,245,502 to James Powers. Since 30 the present invention deals only with improveprovements in the paper injector and the automatic stop device, the remainder of the tabulator mechanism will not be described. In Figs. 1, 3,

and l, a shaft I0 is journaled in the side frame I l 35 of the printing head. A printing platen (not shown) is secured to one end of this shaftand a hand knob I2 is fast on the other end, permitting manual-control overthe paper feed whenever necessary. Also secured to shaft ID is a ratchet 4 I3, and a spur gear I which'meshes with a large driving gear l5. Secured'togear I4 is an aligner disc l6, and cooperating with the teeth of this disc is the usual detent roller l1 carried by a spring-drawn retaining lever I8. The primary 5 l3. In view of the factthat the above mechaplaten will stop in the correct printing position.

The driving gear II is secured to a hollow shaft II which turns on a stud shait2I, mounted between the frame II and a supporting plate 2I. Mounted onthe hollow shaft I9 is a cylindrical sleeve 22 free to rotate on the shaft and having secured thereto an injector lever 23 which is urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 29. A settable arm 24 is also secured to the sleeve 22 and its position may be adjusted by means of the clamping screws 25. Mounted parallel to the large driving gear II and adjacent to it is a stationary gear segment N, the teeth of which serve as a means for setting the injector lever 23, This stationary plate 2I is held in position by a screw '21 which anchors it to the plate 2| and by a hub setting of the arm II, it is manually pulled away from the gear segment 2I by means of the knob I4 until the small segment II is disengaged. Then it is rotated on the hub 2I to its new setting and the small segment. slipped into mesh again I with the teeth on gear segment 26. I

At the extremity 0! limit arm II, a triangular yield plate II is pivotally mounted by means oi! the pin II and carries a limit pin 0 adapted to engage the hand lever assembly 2I when the latter is being reset. I

Attached to hand lever 23 is a pivoted pawl II whose nose 42 engages the teeth of the driving gear II when the paper isbeing fed, into and/or around the platen. The pawl H is pivoted on the pin II and is urged clockwise by.the spring 44. Mounted above the pawl is a latch 4I which is pivoted on a screw II and adapted to hold the pawl 4| in engagement with the teeth 01 the gear II by means of a tooth '41 on plate 4I engag-' ing a nose 4I o'n pawl 4I. The spring 44 is anchored to the latch 4I in such manner as to exert a force tending to'hold the latch and pawl together. Y

The latch.mechanism (Figs. 3, 5, 6, and 'l) which controls the stopping of the tabulatorlafter the proper number of printing operations, is,

mounted on the side frame II adjacent to the shaft 2I, and is a combination oi tour cooperating elements; an irregular baseiplate 4I, a rocking plate II, a sliding bar II and a pivoted pawl I2. The base plate 4I supports a pivot II for the clutch operating bell-crank and a pivot bolt II on which thaplate II rocks. A spring II has one of its ends anchored on a pin I'l attached to the plate .II with its other end anchored to a pin II attached to plate II thereby stressing the plate II to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction aroun the bolt II. Theplate II has mounted on its middle-portion, two pins II and II which slide in slots I2 and II formed in bar II. A spring I4 is employed to stress the bar II downwardly and for this puraaoasav pose is stretchedbetween two studs, one on the plate II and the other on the side of bar II. Another spring II is stretched between similar studs mounted on the upper end of plate II and the right hand side of pawl I2.

The bar II is provided with a limit screw II carried in an oflset lug-I1 and provided with a locking nut for permanent adjustment. At the lower extremity of the bar, a pivot II is mounted thereon, adapted to be engaged by a slot II formed in the ends of one of the arms of the bellcrank I4. A notch II is cut into the side of bar II and is adapted to be engaged by the nose II The pawl I2 is pivoted on pin II and has a nose I I2 extending toward the .arm 24 and coplanar with it. The pawl is triangular in shape .and its apex is formed with a nose II which coacts with the notch ll'as described above. The lower arm of bell-crank I4 is connected 9. link 14 which in turn is connected to a bellcrank II (Fig. 2) pivoted on the rear 0! the machine. The lower arm of bell-crank II is connected to a link 16 which is adapted to operate a trip lever ll which actuates the control mechanism of the tabulator.

The control mechanism and associated clutch disengaging mechanism is fully described in U. S.

Patent No. 2,044,119, issued to W. W. Lasker and shown therein in Figs. 5, 15, and 16. The essential features oi! this structure reside in a cam II which makes one revolution for each cycle of the tabulator. As the rise oi cam II passes under a roller II on a follower arm II, a vertical arm I2 is moved upwardly tor a short distance. As long as the machine is to continue in its normal running condition, the vertical arm I2 will idle, but when it is decided to stop the machine, an interponent II is interposed above the arm I2 so that the upward motion will be transmitted to.

one end 0! a rocker arm I4, therebyrocking it about its pivot and giving a downward motion to link II. This link is pivotally connected to the extremity of a crank II which is secured to the clutch shaft II. Also secured to clutch shaft II is an arm III which controls the position oi. a

movable clutch plate III. The other clutch plate III is driven by a belt III and an electric motor III which is kept. running continually. The

.clutch plate III is disengaged when the shaft II gaged by various levers and cams which are part 'of the manual stopping mechanism controlled by button II.

The operation 01' the automatic stopping device is as follows: Paper is fed into and around the platen and aligned properly for the first entry. The limit arm II is set for total iorm length and the hand lever 2I is set back until the pawl 4| comes in contact with the limit pin 4I, thereby causing the nose 42 to engage one'oi' the teeth on driving wheel II. v

The arm 24 is adjusted on the sleeve 22 so that,

v after the required number oi. items have been As operation is concluded, the 75 'which meshes with gear I4 is rotated counterclockwise carrying the hand injector lever 23 and adjustable arm 24 in the same direction. The printing and spacing operations continue until the arm 24 comes in contact with the nose 12 of pawl 52 and rotates it clockwise about its pivot 80.

This disengages the nose I3 from the notch H and the bar 5| is pulled downwardly by the action of spring 64 as shown in Fig. 5. This motion is communicated by bell-crank 54 to link 14 which is connected by other linkages to the trip lever TI. This lever is rotated clockwise and rocks the interponent 83 into the path of the vertical arm 82, thereby rocking arm 84 and disengaging the clutch.

The position of the various parts of the latch assembly at the moment of tripping is shown in Fig. 5. a

To continue printing on the next paper heading, the machine must be reset manually by the operator. This is done by pulling the injector lever 23 down all the way and then letting it spring back to its initial position as shown in Fig. 3. When the lever is drawn down, the nose 42 is still in mesh with the gear l5 and the platen is rotated suflicient to carry a new heading into position ready for the first printed item. At the end of this downward movement, the latch 45 is engaged by the screw 21, and rotated around its pivot 46 until the pawl 4| is released from the tooth 41 (see Fig. 8). Both the latch and the pawl swing in a clockwise direction, releasing the nose 42 of pawl 4i from the gear l5 thus permitting the lever 23 to fly back under the tension of helical spring 29 (Fig. 4).

As the lever 23 is stopped by the limit pin 40, the force of the blow, acts against the inclined surface of pawl 4|, causing it to be rocked'counter-clockwise so that its nose 49 is again latched under the tooth 41 and nose 42 is in mesh with tated the pawl 52 a distance sufficient to permit thearm to pass the nose 12. During this rota tion the upper edge of the arm lifts the sliding bar 5| by means of the set screw 66 until said bar is again engaged by the pawl 52. The lifting of the bar 5i also rotates the bell-crank 54 and by means of the linkages as previously set forth, rocks thebell-crank I1 counter-clockwise out of the path of lever 88. This action does not start the machine again as has been explained in Patent 2,044,119, referred to above. Theoperator waits until the arm 23 has been returned to its normal position, checks on the position of the injected paper form and then startsv the machine again by pressing the starting button sl.

Fig. '7 shows the position of the latch assembly as the hand lever is being returned to its normal or starting position. On the return stroke the arm 24 is traveling in a clockwise direction and as the nose thereof comes in contact with the nose I2 of the pawl 52, the inclined surfaces of each cause the pawl, together with the bar 5| and the plate 50, to be rotated slightly about the screw 55 so as to allow the arm 24 to pass. The spring 56 returns the latch assembly to its normal position after disengagement and the mechanism is ready for another cycle of operation.

While I have described what I consider to be a highly desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many changes in form could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to the exact form herein shown and described, nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as hereinbefore set forth, and as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim as 'new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a machine of the class described, employing punched data cards for the tabulation of data, having a paper feeding mechanism operated through a clutch and capable of causing a paper feeding operation for each cycle of the machine, the combination of an arm adjustably secured to a shaft which is rotated by said feeding mechanism; a bar operatively connected by mechanical linkages to said clutch; a pawl adapted to retain said bar in clutch operative position until the pawl is engaged by said adjustable arm, whereby said bar is released after a predetermined number of paper feeding operations have occurred; a lug on said bar adapted to be engaged and lifted by said arm; and a manually operable lever connected to said feedingmechanism by a ratchet gear, whereby said bar may be manually reset in clutch'operative position after having been released.

2. In a machine of the class described, employing punched data cards for the tabulation of data, having a paper feeding mechanism operated through a clutch and capable of causing a paper feeding operation for each cycle of the machine, the combination of an arm adjustably secured to a portion of the paper feeding mechanism and adapted to rotate as paper is fed through the machine, a bar operatively connected by mechanical linkages to said clutch; a pawl adapted to retain said bar in'clutch operative position until the pawl is engaged by said adjustable arm, whereby said bar is released after a predetermined number of paper feeding operations have occurred; a lug on said bar adapted to be engaged and lifted by said arm; and a manually operable lever connected to said feed .ing mechanism by a ratchet gear, whereby said bar may be manually reset in clutch operative position after having been released.

3. In a machine of the class described, 'employing punched data cards, the combination of a paper feeding mechanism operated through a clutch, means for causing a paper feeding opera-' tion for each cycle of the machine, an adjustable arm secured toa portion of the paper feeding mechanism and adapted to rotate as paper is fed through the machine, a bar mechanically connected to said clutch, a pawl adapted to ret'ain said bar in clutch operative position, a lug on said bar adapted to be engaged'and lifted by said adjustable arm, means for releasing said bar after a predetermined number of paper feeding operations, said means comprising the cooperative action of said lever on said pawl, and a; manually operable lever connected to said feeding mechanism whereby said bar may be manually reengaged in clutch operative position. 4. In a machine of the class described, employing plmched data cards, the combination of a paper feeding mechanism operated through a clutch, means for causing a paper feeding operation for each cycle of the machine, an adjustable arm secured to a portion of the paper feeding mechanism and adapted to rotate as paper is fed through the machine, a bar mechanically connected to said clutch, a pawl for retaining said bar in clutch operative position until the pawl is engaged by said am, a lug on said bar adapted to be engaged and lifted by said adjustable arm, and a manually operable lever connected to said feeding mechanism whereby-said bar may be manually engaged in clutch operative position.

5. In a machine of the class described, employing punched data' cards, the combination 01' a paper feeding mechanism operated through a clutch, means for causing a paper feeding operation for each cycle of the machine, an adjustable arm secured to a portion of the paper feeding mechanism and adapted to rotate as paper is Y J OHN T. FERRY. 

